NZ can grow all its own biofuels, says study

Purpose-grown forests to produce biofuels could meet all New Zealand’s transport fuel requirements within 40 years, according to a study by the Crown research institute Scion.

Chief executive Tom Richardson told the Herald yesterday that New Zealand was one of just a handful of places identified worldwide that was well placed to become carbon-neutral for transport, given advances in biofuel technology.
Dr Richardson said incentives for developing a biofuel industry out of forests included that New Zealand had plenty of suitable land and favourable tree-growing climate and soils.

New Zealand could be a world leader in the field and was already getting international attention because it could be self-sufficient given the ratio of vehicles to land available.

Dr Richardson said the study had found that if New Zealand were to start planting such purpose-grown forests and introduce a programme of managed harvesting and replanting, the resulting biomass could eventually be used to meet all the country’s projected future needs for transport fuels and heat.

NZ Herald